Daylesford and Hepburn Springs through the seasons: the weather, the colour and the festivals worth planning around
There is no wrong month, but there is a right one for what you want. Daylesford sits at about 600 metres, so it runs cooler and wetter than Melbourne: an average high around 15 degrees across the year, summer days that can reach the high 30s, winter nights near zero and the odd dusting of snow. Pack a layer more than you think you need, in every season.
Summer: December to February
- Lavender in full bloom at Lavandula through January and February; the farm’s harvest festival, when it runs, is in January.
- Glenlyon Sports Day on New Year’s Day, running since 1857: woodchopping, a gumboot throw and a mineral-water drinking contest, 10 minutes from us.
- The free outdoor pool in Daylesford opens for the season, Lake Daylesford has paddle boats, and the Bathhouse is the answer to a hot afternoon.
- Long light evenings on the balcony, and the summer meteor showers in our stargazing guide.
Autumn: March to May
- ChillOut Festival, the country’s biggest regional LGBTQIA+ festival, takes over Daylesford every Labour Day weekend in March, with a street parade down Vincent Street and Carnival Day in Victoria Park. The 2027 edition is the 30th and runs longer, 27 February to 8 March. Book rooms months out.
- Clunes Booktown on the third weekend of March, 30 minutes away.
- The colour: mid-April to early May is the peak for the elms and oaks at Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and the poplars around Lake Daylesford and Jubilee Lake.
- The Great Trentham Spudfest in early May, and the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival through April in Kyneton.
Winter: June to August
- Bathhouse weather. Also open-fire weather: the Surly Goat next door, the Daylesford Hotel and most of the pubs keep one going.
- Truffle season runs June to August; Black Cat Truffles near Creswick runs weekend hunts with the dogs.
- Words in Winter, the district’s literary festival, across the last week of August in venues in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs.
- The waterfalls and the Blowhole run properly, and the winter Milky Way is the sharpest of the year.
Spring: September to November
- The Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival in the first half of September.
- The Swiss Italian Festa in Hepburn Springs in late October, celebrating the families who settled the springs; 22 to 25 October in 2026.
- The Daylesford Rotary Art Show in the Town Hall over Cup weekend, and the Daylesford Show at Victoria Park in late November.
- The Daylesford Highland Gathering on the first Saturday of December, with a pipe-band march down Vincent Street: spring’s last hurrah.
Quiet and Busy
Weekends are busy year round, and long weekends, school holidays and ChillOut are booked out well ahead. Sunday to Thursday is quieter everywhere - the Bathhouse, the restaurants, the roads - and our rates move with demand, so a midweek stay is usually the most bed for your buck. Check the exact dates on each festival’s own site before you book, because they shift a week either way from year to year.
